Upfronts Analysis | Thursday Nights

For true TV nerds, upfront week (the week that the major television networks present their fall schedules to advertisers) is one of the best weeks of the year because we get a look at all of the presents that are going to be under our proverbial TV trees come September. Here, then, we continue a night-by-night analysis of new offerings as well as of old favorites being shifted into new slots.

Note: Click through the hyperlinks for trailers on YouTube for each new show.

Thursdays

Most Promising Newcomer

Nikita (CW, 9:00) - We like to spread the most promising newcomer love around as we hit our fourth network in as many nights with The CW's reboot of Nikita (also known as La Femme Nikita). After originally appearing as a Luc Besson film in the early '90's, La Femme Nikita became a modest performer for USA Network later in the decade and now old is new again as The CW ventures out of their comfort zone of teen dramas into the action genre with this continuation of the franchise. Maggie Q stars as the titular character who's working to bring down the shadowy spy organization she once worked for and The CW has planted it on the most prime piece of real estate on their schedule - following last season's breakout smash The Vampire Diaries. We definitely see some compatibility there and fans of genre TV could have a new obsession on their hands with Nikita.

Strangest Move
This probably isn't so much strange as it is bold, but CBS moved longtime Thursday stalwart Survivor to Wednesday nights to make room for an hour of comedy to compete with NBC's combo of Community and now 30 Rock. Monday night hit The Big Bang Theory now leads off Thursday nights for the Tiffany network and is followed by surely the first sitcom to be based off of a Twitter feed in the William Shatner starrer $#*! My Dad Says. Unfortunately, I think this move kills Community dead as it was barely cracking four million viewers at the end of this season and now it has to deal with a sitcom juggernaut in The Big Bang Theory. As much as I hate it since Community is the funniest show on network TV, you've gotta applaud CBS's balls here. They're the #1 network and could have stayed with the status quo but instead chose to be more daring than the other four networks combined. I just wish this move didn't have to be at Community's expense.

Hour By Hour
8:00 - We already discussed a large chunk of this hour above but look for CBS to take 8:00 even if $#*! My Dad Says looks a lot like your average garden variety sitcom, albeit one that stars the always entertaining William Shatner. Fox's Bones, a reliable utility player that thrived in this spot last season, will likely follow not far behind. NBC counters with the always hilarious Community, which we hope NBC has the sense to move it out of this slot after it gets slaughtered by The Big Bang Theory as it deserves a much better fate than this, and critical favorite 30 Rock, which is being shifted an hour earlier than usual. Normal occupant Parks And Recreation is being held until midseason. The CW's The Vampire Diaries which, for our money, was our top guilty pleasure of last year is the perfect melding of executive producer Kevin Williamson's Dawson's Creek and Scream work and is The CW's top hit. It's tough to get a read on ABC's My Generation as we're apparently already at the stage for '00's nostalgia. The series follows the coming of age of a group of high schoolers through the decade. It's ABC's second new documentary-style drama along with Detroit 1-8-7 and could be interesting, but we doubt it finds an audience.

9:00 - CSI and Grey's Anatomy blah blah blah. Theirs is an eternal struggle and it won't be any different in the coming season. NBC pairs The Office (potentially Steve Carrell's last season of The Office) with the execrable new sitcom Outsourced. Its trailer is one of the most offensive things we've seen in a while and it's mind-boggling that NBC not only greenlit it but deemed it worthy enough to serve as The Office's lead-out. Stereotypes galore abound as an American middle manager is sent to India to oversee a call center. Really, we're rooting for this one to be gone as soon as humanly possible. Fox's entry this hour is Fringe which, frankly, we don't really care about anymore. The CW programs Nikita in this spot.

10:00 - Another DVR hour as CBS's The Mentalist and ABC's Private Practice take up space in this slot. We couldn't be more disinterested. And NBC? After seeing the completely schitzoid trailer for Love Bites, we're still not exactly sure what it's supposed to be but if we didn't know any better, between Outsourced and Love Bites, we'd think that NBC's waving a white flag of sorts.

What We're Watching/TiVoing
Community
30 Rock
The Vampire Diaries
Bones
$#*! My Dad Says
Nikita
The Office
Grey's Anatomy out of habit